20.11.2023. 6pm IST
♡♡♡ A Very Happy Feast of Venerable Fr Agnelo de Souza to one and all.
Fr Agnelo sayings include :
* One who fulfills his duties faithfully is on the way to perfection.
* It is difficult to love this world and to save our souls.
Today i share something which is really the need of the hour and ie MENTAL HEALTH.
It's so sad and disappointing to see so many young and not so young people losing their mind.
And the worst sufferers are women.
Too many requests are coming in for rehabilitation.
And these are even from highly educated people both rural & urban.
We have currently in our rehabilitation homes :
☆ Law students
☆ Engineers
☆ Graduates
☆ Pharmacists
Etc
It's a silent TSUNAMI which most of us don't want to see or even hear about.
Now I am at my wits end how to go about and address so many genuine goans cries in a situation at times that it's impossible to say no.
We have poor unsound goan ladies & girls :
》if not rehabilitated roaming on the streets naked,
》If not rehabilitated gets pregnant year after year,
》If not rehabilitated will end up roaming streets,
》If not rehabilitated will be forced into flesh trade,
》If not rehabilitated will be trafficked,
》If not rehabilitated will develop other sickness.
We have many Goan men & Boys :
◇ As young as 21 years declared insane – due to excess alcohol & abusive drugs,
If not rehabilitated will be roaming on streets & end up getting pasted & hammered,
Who are old and just have no one in this world,
Who are thrown out by their families.
And the reasons are many many more.
We as a society need to be more sensitive and caring towards such people and believe me it's an ever increasing number , day by day.
90% of these requests are goan people who are so poor and frustrated that it makes no difference to them even if their own family member is roaming naked on the street or living like a vagabond on the streets , and if Kept at home, might get more aggressive.
The only Solution for this problem: SHELTER HOMES which is something that not many want to jump into & it's not a cheap and easy service to run as it requires full time nurses , caregivers, attendants.
It requires passion & commitment.
To an extent, late night if an inmate loses their cool then I have to get them admitted into IPHB as the Staff can't be called back once gone Home.
◇ Year end 2023 – we have 10 homes in Goa
◇ Year end 2024 – we will have 20 homes in Goa.
But that's not going to be enough.
Since the poor can't afford even basic fees , we have to depend on both government grants and public donations as most of the inmates can't be put to any use in the Homes to recover the costs to rehabilitate them even if one teaches them a trade ” as they are beyond repairs & only need to be maintained and sustained till they die “.
As we Celebrate The feast of Venerable Fr Agnelo de Souza, let's attempt to live by his teaching in SPIRIT so that the world becomes a better place to live for those who don't even know their name and those who dont where they will get their next meal from.
Let's try to live a life befitting to the life lived by Venerable Fr Agnelo.
Let's work for the betterment of the poorest of the poor especially those with mental disabilities.
We need to all work together as we take on this TSUNAMI called mental disabilities especially those who are the poorest of the poor.
Once again A Very Happy Feast of Venerable Fr Agnelo.
God bless you all
Donald Fernandes
8380097564 / 7020314848
